Senior Mechanical Design Engineer – (Rolling) Contact Mechanics

Senior Mechanical Design Engineer – (Rolling) Contact Mechanics

Delft, The Netherlands
32–38 hours per week
MSc level or equivalent experience
5+ years relevant experience

ABOUT THE ROLE

IMSystems is growing from a technology driven start-up into a product company. To support this next phase, we are looking for a Senior Mechanical Design Engineer with deep expertise in precision mechanical systems, particularly rolling-contact components.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Precision Mechanical Design Expertise

• Contribute to the mechanical design of next generation Archimedes Drive, from concept through industrialization.
• Apply expertise in rolling-contact mechanics to solve design problems effectively and efficiently.
• Translate product and customer requirements into robust, manufacturable, high-precision mechanical solutions.
• Own critical design decisions related to contact behavior, tolerances, lifetime, and performance.
• Perform and review:
• Tolerance stack-ups
• Finite element simulations
• Design validation and failure analysis of precision steel assemblies
• Deliver clear, high-quality production drawings and technical documentation.
• Support prototype building, testing, and iteration in close collaboration with test and assembly engineers.

Design & Engineering Excellence

• Act as a technical authority within the mechanical design team.
• Contribute to design reviews, acting as a bridge between R&D, Commercial, and Production to ensure design intent is executed with rigor and excellence.

Product Development & Industrialization

• Help structure and improve the engineering workflow, including:
• Design reviews and gated development phases
• Interface definition and documentation
• Change management and version control
• Design for manufacturability and scalability
• Bring best practices from more mature organizations and adapt them pragmatically to a scale-up environment.
• Support the transition from development projects to repeatable product platforms.
• Ensure strong alignment between design intent, manufacturing, and assembly.

WHO YOU ARE

You don’t need a PhD—we are designing and building products, not doing academic research. You do, however, have the following characteristics:

• Deep technical expertise in precision mechanical systems, capable of making sound engineering decisions under uncertainty.
• Naturally takes ownership and leads through technical clarity and credibility.
• Balances engineering rigor with pragmatic execution.
• Highly organized and effective in a fast-paced, scale-up environment.
• Motivated to grow into a technical leadership role.

REQUIREMENTS (CRITICAL)

• MSc level of thinking, through education or equivalent professional experience.
• 5+ years of experience in high-precision mechanical design.
• Based in the Netherlands with reliable commute to Delft (no relocation support provided).
• Demonstrable knowledge of rolling contact mechanics and ability to apply this to design engineering.
• Solid understanding of:
• Manufacturability and tolerances in precision assemblies
• Steel manufacturing processes and machining constraints
• Experience working in structured engineering environments (clear processes, reviews, and documentation).
• Proven ability to lead and guide design processes in an engineering environment.
• Hands-on, solution‑oriented, and comfortable working under pressure.
• Able to work independently while collaborating closely with others.
• Strong, professional command of English, with the ability to communicate complex technical topics fluently.

STRONGLY PREFERRED

• Experience designing high-load rotational components (e.g. bearings, precision gears, train wheels, camshafts, drivetrains, lead/ball screws, robotic joints, or comparable systems requiring in-depth application of contact mechanics).
• Experience bringing complex mechanical products from prototypes to production.
• Exposure